Steve Ryder Sunday Racing Tips

The Gordon Elliott trained BRITZKA (best priced at 11-8) may give those who have backed him for the Boodles Handicap an anxious wait for the announcement of Cheltenham weights if he was to win this in impressive style. The juvenile made a winning hurdling debut over this course and distance in December when he won easily by six lengths before finishing an eyecatching 3rd in the Grade 2 Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown at Christmas.

Britzka finished nearly ten lengths behind his impressive stablemate Fil Dor that day but this is much easier and I expect him to win this for last year’s winning stable in a first-time tongue tie.

ARDHILL (best priced at 11-8) landed a big gamble at Ascot last time in first-time blinkers and he should prove hard to beat in this race if they work for a second time. The Gordon Elliott trained seven-year-old had previously shown very little form for the past year but won at Ascot off a mark of 104 by 7 ½ lengths in impressive style.

The handicapper has raised Ardhill up to a mark of 111 but that should be no concern if the headgear works the trick for a second time. He faces the enigmatic Glenquin Castle here who has won seven in a row but could just find this well handicapped rival too good off a 9lb higher mark.

Gordon Elliott won this race three years in a row between 2016 and 2018 and also had the 2nd in 2019 so it is a race that he targets each year. Both of his runners are of interest this year and I will take a chance on them with bookmakers offering four and five places on the race.

Firstly, despite this trip of 2m1f being short of his optimum these days, I do feel the top weight HARDLINE (best priced at 16-1) will outrun his odds. The ten-year-old finished only ½ length behind Royal Rendevous in the Grade 2 PWC Champion Chase at Gowran Park in October before having an excuse when last of four in another Grade 2 at Clonmel last time. This is his first handicap since May 2019 when he finished 2nd behind Real Steel at the Punchestown Festival but he has since finished placed behind Ballyoisin in a Grade 2 and only 2 ¼ lengths behind Min in the Grade 1 John Durkan Chase. He looks worth taking a chance on with Rob James taking off 7lbs.

The second is ÉCLAIR DE BEAUFEU (best price 12-1) who runs over fences for the first time since November 2020. The eight-year-old beat Paloma Blue in a Handicap Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival in February 2020 before chasing home stablemate Chosen Mate in the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham Festival the month after. That run was off a mark of 149 but following a fall at Navan on his next start he was reverted back to hurdles where he once again placed at the Cheltenham Festival in the County Hurdle last year off a mark of 139. He will find things harder back over fences off a mark of 149 but I expect him to run well with Jack Kennedy on board.